Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), in which the protection is based on the protection label switching path (LSP) set up in advance, has become a data transport technique gradually.
A 1:1 and 1+1 modes of protection for MPLS are put forward in Y.1720 standard by International Telecommunications Union—Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T). The 1+1 protection means that there are a work LSP and a protection LSP between a source node and a destination node. The source node transmits data via the work LSP and the protection LSP simultaneously. In normal conditions, the destination node receives the data from the work LSP. If there is a failure in the work LSP, the destination node receives data from the protection LSP. The 1:1 protection of the MPLS means that there are a work LSP, a protection LSP and a return LSP between a source node and a destination node. In normal conditions, the source node transmits the data via the work LSP and the destination node receives the data from the work LSP. If there is a failure in the work LSP, the destination node notifies the source node via the return LSP so as to switch the data to the protection LSP, and the destination node receives the data from the protection LSP.
In the source node and the destination node, it is needed to bind the work LSP with the protection LSP, or to bind the work LSP, the protection LSP and the return LSP, that is to say, to make it able to find the other one or two LSPs based on one of these LSPs. In the prior art, the work LSP, the protection LSP and the return LSP are usually configured statically and bound together, including the steps of (take the 1:1 protection of the MPLS as an example):
1. configuring the ingress including name, destination address and mask code, address of the next hop or egress interface and exit label of the static LSP;
2. configuring the intermediate node, including name, ingress interface, address of the next hop or egress interface, entrance label and exit label of the static LSP;
3. configuring the egress, including name, ingress interface and entrance label of the static LSP;
4. configuring the work LSP, the protection LSP and the return LSP, respectively, then associating the names of the three LSPs to implement the binding.
At present, the MPLS technique has gradually become general MPLS (GMPLS) by further upgrading and could be used in various networks, such as Ethernet and etc. For instance, the concept of the LSP is also applicable to new Ethernet, the establishment and maintenance thereof is implemented by the existing method of the MPLS technique. Therefore, it is necessary to make the work LSP with the protection LSP binding by static configuration more easily, and decrease the burden of maintainers, so to make convenient for users to cutover services and upgrade the network, and also make service management easy.